The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity, has announced that Panaz, a leading supplier of high quality decorative fabrics and wallcoverings, has won the second annual Export Award.
Part of The Furniture Makers’ Company’s Manufacturing Guild Mark, the Export Award was launched in 2016 to recognise excellence in promoting and selling British manufactured furniture, bedding and furnishings to overseas markets.
The award considers all aspects of how a business operates, including development initiatives, overseas’ markets penetrated, volumes, growth techniques, long term commitment, and relevant accreditations.
Entries were judged by a panel of industry experts, including Dr Tony Smart MBE, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company; Jonny Westbrooke, CEO of The Furniture Makers’ Company; Jonathan Hindle, chairman of the British Furniture Confederation; Jeremy Stein, managing director of the British Contract Furnishing Association; and Stephen McPartland MP, member of parliament for Stevenage and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group.
The award will be presented to Panaz, which is based in Burnley, Lancashire, at the Furniture Makers’ Royal Charter Dinner at The Honourable Artillery Company, London on Tuesday 26th October 2017.
Dr Tony Smart MBE, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, says: “We’d like to congratulate the whole team at Panaz for this great achievement. Panaz demonstrated a very clear export strategy, one that has been evidently communicated throughout the company and pursued rigorously over the years. Panaz has deftly taken into account customers’ requirements in some very different and demanding markets across the world which has subsequently resulted in fantastic growth for the business. It is a great example of how a business should operate in multiple territories around the world.”
Tony Attard OBE, group chief executive at Panaz, says: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by The Furniture Makers’ Company for our successful work in export markets. A tribute goes to our great team and partners across the world. Panaz began exporting five years after the company’s inception in 1985 and has constantly grown since then. Collaborations with internationally acclaimed interior designers has resulted in exciting, contemporary and full contract quality fabrics that grace some of the most iconic interiors in the world.”
